Once again, I’m aggregating the Chicago art writing. That is, articles from Chicago sources or about Chicago art from a variety of sources. As the openings begin next week the art season will start to take off and I’m looking forward to it. As always post anything I’ve missed in the comments. 60 Inches... Read more »

Continuing from last week, I’m trying to aggregate all the Chicago art writing. BUILT was the talk of the town last week, it seems. Again, I’m sure I’m missing pieces, so please post them in the comments. 60 Inches from Center “Art on the Ave: A Recap of the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival” – Short... Read more »

I thought it would be interesting to try to round up all the writing on art in Chicago and on Chicago, for the last week or so. I’m calling it the Chicago Art Digest and I’ll try to do it every week. I’d like to try to include all the writing going on in town... Read more »

With the attention around Forever Marilyn dying down, thank goodness, I’ve been sharing my opinion in a lot of places, not all of them on the web. Here’s the links for those of you that missed the live broadcasts. On July 15th I talked with Mike McConnell on WGN 720 AM about my article and... Read more »

It’s uncomfortable to be informed of an unnoticed or unseen bias. The first reaction could be resentment: There’s nothing wrong with me, there must be something wrong with you! Another reaction is dismissal: Lighten up, it’s not a big deal. It’s true. J. Seward Johnson’s Forever Marilyn is negligible, it’s a bulky piece of sculpture that... Read more »

In the hubbub surrounding the installation of J. Seward Johnson’s Forever Marilyn, it’s important to remember that Chicago is home to much better art and artists. If you are checking out (pun intended) Forever Marilyn, you must visit Millennium Park. As I expressed last night on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight,” Millennium Park has public art that is... Read more »

Before Forever Marilyn was plopped down in Chicago, in 2010 it came to light that J. Seward Johnson had six giant sculptures fabricated (supposedly) of the brother of the Sultan of Brunei in various explicit sexual positions, picked out from the Kama Sutra. (As a spokesperson for Johnson stated, the Kama Sutra sex positions are... Read more »

If the last two J. Seward Johnson sculptures have just been simply bad, Johnson’s latest kitsch-extravaganza to occupy Pioneer Plaza is downright creepy and sexist. It’s a giant Marilyn Monroe holding down her dress from the famous subway scene in “The Seven Year Itch” (1955). Move to the rear and you get a view of... Read more »

I was saddened again last week when I learned that Polly Ullrich, a long-time Chicago art critic, had passed away suddenly after being involved in a car accident in Wisconsin. As our friends at Bad at Sports note, she is already missed. I first met Polly shortly after an exhibition pairing artists and art critics... Read more »

Cy Twombly died in a hospital in Rome on July 5th, according to Gagosian Gallery, his gallery representation. The artist was 83. The New York Times obituary described Twombly as “a divisive artist almost from the start,” a description I would have to agree with. I even find myself... Read more »